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New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Barely a month ago, Bihar’s opposition platform Grand Alliance seemed to be getting a slight lead over the state’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in this year’s assembly elections. Its projected face in the state, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, appeared weak against anti-incumbency sentiments. Cabinet members were being wildly accused of corruption, and his frequent political changes earned him the sobriquet “Palturam”.
Apart from this, videos and memes highlighting the growing years of Nitish Kumar also surfaced. Earlier his image was for good administration and clean image. He was praised for taking Bihar out of “Jungle Raj”.
Meanwhile, Bihar’s main opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) seems encouraged by the aggressive leadership of Tejashwi Yadav. He joined colleague, Congress MP and leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on a near-statewide tour, and pointed out the lapses in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls by the Election Commission.
The Left, another key ally, also seems to be gaining ground, on top of the major gains it made in the 2020 assembly elections. But now the NDA seems to have strengthened itself by managing its constituents with tact and pragmatism.
Its main constituents – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (United) – have finalized their seat-sharing arrangements much ahead of the nomination deadline.
While each will contest 101 seats, ally Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has secured 29 seats, leaving the rest for other allies.
There are a total of 243 seats in the state assembly. Chirag was seen rebelling almost like it was 2020. His decision to enter the fray as an NDA partner this time could hold the key to more than just the seats his party will contest.
In the last elections, due to his single efforts, the ruling government had to suffer the loss of about 40 seats. This time he has decided in favor of NDA.
The coordination of the ruling coalition and the clarity of seat-sharing have given it a definite edge.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to lead the campaign with 12 rallies across the state, backed by top central leaders like Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, the excitement within the ruling front is palpable.
Unlike last time, the grand alliance has failed to present a united front in many constituencies.
In Bachhwara, where the Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate representing the Grand Alliance lost to the BJP by a narrow margin (by 484 votes), RJD now has a rival in Bachhwara too.
Similarly, in Vaishali, the RJD has fielded its candidate against the Congress candidate, where the Congress had lost to the JD(U) by over 7,000 votes in the last assembly elections.
In Rajapakar, where the Congress defeated its nearest Janata Dal (United) rival by nearly 1,800 votes in 2020, the sitting MLA now faces the CPI candidate.
Similar situation exists in other assembly constituencies also. National level ally Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had earlier announced its intention to contest the six seats independently. It later withdrew from the race complaining of betrayal and unresolved contradictions within the coalition.
JMM, which is leading the India Bloc government in Jharkhand, has also threatened to review the alliance.
Internal clashes within the grand alliance threaten to splinter anti-NDA votes in key constituencies, potentially benefiting the BJP-led alliance, where the unified seat allocation remains stable.
This has been further challenged with several other anti-BJP platforms such as Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraj Party in the fray. In the ‘first-past-the-post’ electoral system, where a candidate is declared the winner from the constituency even if there is a one-vote margin from the mandate for the runner-up, a quick count points towards an advantage-NDA situation.
–IANS
JB/Red